Raincoats | The Umbrella Academy

Phantasm

"Five bucks a person! Just five as admission to witness an astounding act of magic! Now you see it, now you don't, people." James shouted with a surprising air of grandeur. He sounded more like a car salesman than his usual nasally sounding speech. 

A small crowd had gathered, mostly lingering on the sidewalk, curious. It was a gloomy day; admittedly not the best time for street performances, but you gotta do what you gotta do. She would've worn a raincoat, but sometimes plastic and rubber interfered with the act, and she didn't want to take the chance. So she stood patiently waiting for more of a crowd to form, feeling drops of rain seep through her sweater and cling to her hair. 

"Alright," James exclaimed, clasping his hands together loudly. "We need an object from the audience. Perhaps a pen or a purse. Anyone?"

 A lady in a suit offered her 7eleven coffee cup. A few people were now watching with bored expressions. Charlotte took a deep breath, preparing herself. She hadn't had much to eat that day, and sometimes that could make it hard to get things done, but it was this or no dinner. 

James grinned widely as he carefully handed the half full coffee to Charlotte with a wink. Let the show begin, she thought tiredly. The redhead held the cup up with her fingertips, high above her head so that everyone could see. 

"Now ladies and gentlemen, this is no trick. There are no strings in this cup, nothing to hinder the magic. Watch carefully and be amazed."

The world went cold. Colder than the chill of the rain, like frost in her blood. She focused on the cup, where her fingers made contact with the Styrofoam, trying to channel her energy to the cup and not herself. Charlotte smiled as the cup seemed to flicker and then blink straight out of sight. 

There were gasps and then a round of clapping. "Where'd it go, you ask?" James leaned in so that his head was next to Charlotte, who still held her hand out as if she was clutching something. She reached behind his head, where their audience couldn't see, and let go. Warmth rushed back to her body, the heat of the cup felt deliciously hot against her palm. When she retrieved her hand and showed it to the crowd, the coffee cup was visible. Another quick round of applause sounded, along with a 'Wow!'. 

After a few more tricks, the crowd dissipated, going their separate ways to work. James and Charlotte ducked into the closest alley to count their bounty. "Forty bucks," he said as he finished counting the bills. The nasal twang was back in his voice.

Charlotte smirked and she shoved the beanie that they had been using for the handouts back on her head. "Great, hand me my thirty."

Her coworker paused. "You can do math, right? There's forty dollars."

"I know," she said simply. "I do the tricks, I earn more money." She stood with her hand extended.

"Yeah? And do you think you'd even have people to watch you if I didn't draw attention? We split the cash. Fifty- fifty."

The girl considered this. "Fine. I get twenty five."

The two made eye contact. Her eyes intense and stern and James's a wavering blue. "Fine."

Charlotte struggled to hide the triumph on her face as she clutched the cash in her hand. There was a decent dinner, coffee for the next morning, and pocket change for later. She pocketed the money in her too tight jeans as she started down the sidewalk. Twenty five dollars for a few simple parlor tricks wasn't bad. Inflation was her friend in this world.

She easily blended into the crowd of street goers. A sixteen year old walking around wasn't out of the ordinary, but if any of the people Charlotte bumped shoulders with really knew her, they'd probably faint. Because a not-so-teenager in a teenager's body apparently isn't something most people encounter everyday.